


Fireworks

by LeChatRouge673



Series: Cat's Song [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Modern AU, friendship fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-19 22:17:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14882249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeChatRouge673/pseuds/LeChatRouge673
Summary: Prompted fic for @shannaraisles: How about "fireworks" in a friendship fic with Cat and Thea? I'd love to see more of your ladies interacting with one another, in whichever 'verse you like!





	Fireworks

_Ferelden Independence Day, 9:25 Dragon_

The common joke amongst the Cousland family was that Theadosia was thirteen going on thirty. Precocious, clever, and more perceptive than she probably had any right to be. She was also mouthy, stubborn, and had a temper that sent most other children running. Despite all of that, she had a good heart, and when she loved she did so fiercely. Thea did not like to see the people she loved unhappy.

Which was why she was currently sitting alone in her room, grounded.

It had started much the way it always did: with Tommy Howe doing something idiotic, and his older brother, Nathaniel, getting blamed for it. This afternoon, the younger teen had nearly set the meadow behind the Cousland estate on fire whilst playing with fireworks he should have never had his hands on. His father, Rendon Howe, had chastised Nathaniel, saying he should have been keeping an eye on his younger brother. Never mind that Thomas was all of fifteen years old and was perfectly capable of making his own bad decisions.

Nathaniel had finally had enough and finally pushed back against his father, eventually storming off in a huff and disappearing. Cataline, Thea’s cousin who was quietly and impossibly in love with Nate, had been devastated. And Thea had also decided she had had quite enough. She’d stood up, walked over to where Rendon and Tommy were sitting, and slapped the latter across the face before dumping her entire glass of lemonade over the former. Thea had not only refused to apologize, she had defiantly informed her aunt and uncle that she would do it again, given the chance.

She knew damn well that Bryce and Eleanor were appalled by Tommy’s behavior, and disturbed by Rendon’s handling of it, but they also could hardly let Thea get away with rudeness either. They were, for all intents and purposes, her parents. So she’d been sent to her room for the rest of the evening, meaning she would miss the barbecue and the fireworks that night. Of course, her uncle had surreptitiously snuck her a burger and some watermelon at one point, and Delilah Howe had risked her father’s ire to bring Thea one of Eleanor’s famous brownies with the extra fudge frosting.

It wasn’t so bad, she decided with a sigh. There would be fireworks next year, and the year after that. It had been worth it to exact some small, petty amount of revenge against her two least favorite Howes. She’d hated seeing the look on Cat’s face when Nathaniel left, and she hated that her best friend had left at all. Really, if she couldn’t spend the holiday with them, sitting in her room with her books and her music was not such a horrible alternative. Better than trying to play nice.

Dusk had fallen, and Thea knew the fireworks would be starting soon. She flopped down on her bed and reached for her headphones, hoping she could drown out the sound and try not to think about what she was missing. Before she could start her music, however, there was a quiet, almost timid knock at the door. She frowned slightly.

“Come in?”

The door opened, and Cat peeked into the room. Holding a finger to her lips, she tossed her head and gestured for Thea to follow her. With equal parts confusion and curiosity, Thea complied. She trailed after her cousin as the other girl crept down the hall and up the attic stairs. When they were safely within the confines of the musty, dusty attic, Thea paused and put her hands on her hips.

“Catkin, what in the void are we doing? I’m supposed to be grounded, and if your mom and dad find out you’re helping me sneak around…”

“I told them I had a headache and I needed to lie down,” Cat interrupted, her eyes scanning the wall. “I’m sure they assume I am just heartsick over Nate, so they’re not going to bother me.”

“Are you?”

“Am I what?” Cat asked absently, pulling open an access hatch on the far side of the wall and crawling into the evening air.

“Heartsick?” Thea replied quietly. “Because I sure as fuck am, and I’m not even head over heels in love with the guy.”

“Language, Thea!” Cat shot her a look. They were on the roof of the house, now. Definitely not someplace they were supposed to be but in for a copper, in for a sovereign, Thea supposed. They lay back against the roof, staring up at the sky where stars were beginning to twinkle, soon to be outshined by fire and spark and light. Thea reached out and took Cat’s hand in hers, squeezing it gently.

“You didn’t answer my question, Catkin.”

Cat was quiet for a moment. In the distance a rumbling boom and shrill hiss preceded the first shower of light and color as it leapt into the air. As the glittering remnants floated to the earth, Cat finally spoke. “Of course I am, Teddy. You know I am. That’s half the reason you did what you did, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Thea nodded. “I hate them. I hate the way they treat Nate, and I hate what it does to both of you. The two of you really ought to just kiss and run off together.”

“I suspect we’re still a bit too young for that, Teddy,” Cat replied drily. “Besides, he only has to deal with it for one more year. Next year he will be away at university.”

“Yeah,” Thea nodded slowly. “Cat, I wish you would talk to him before then. You need to tell him how you feel.”

Her cousin was silent for a long time. The fireworks sparkled and danced overhead, but Thea suspected that neither of them was enjoying them as much as they could have been. “I can’t, Thea,” Cat finally said firmly. “I just… I don’t think he sees me that way.”

_Bullshit_ , Thea sighed internally. She knew Nathaniel was crazy about Cat, but she’d promised him she wouldn’t say anything until he was ready. Just like she’d promised Cat.

“Ok, Catkin.”

_I’ve got to stop making promises_.

* * *

_Ferelden Independence Day, 9:43 Dragon_

The summer air was warm and pleasant, the heat of the day having conceded to the cooler night breezes and twilight sighs. Thea had her feet buried in the sand as she sat on an oversized beach towel, a half smile on her lips as she watched her husband and her best friend debate the best way to grill a burger. She took a sip of her beer and closed her eyes, letting contentment wash over her like the waves rolling lazily onto the shore. The fireworks would be starting within a half hour or so, but for now she was simply enjoying the peace of the evening and the company of her favorite people in the world.

“Mind if I join you?” Cat didn’t wait for an answer, settling beside Thea on the towel and accepting the beer her cousin handed over. She leaned her head against Thea’s shoulder. “You know I love you, right, Teddy?”

“Of course I do,” Thea laughed, pressing a kiss to Cat’s head. “What brought that on?”

Cat straightened, taking a sip of her drink and shrugging. “Just thinking, I guess. No matter what else has happened, we’ve always had each other.”

Thea smiled. “And we always will.” She leaned back, seeking the familiar stars. Loghain and Nathaniel joined them, her husband sitting on her other side and Nate settling beside Cat. Family.

“I promise.”


End file.
